Finally here a review of this book prepared by David L. Veres for the next volume of Military Aircraft Monthly magazine, in the UK:

Quote

Let’s cut to the chase: if you’re interested in Middle East conflicts, get this outstanding book. Period.

Tom Cooper and Dr. David Nicolle have penned the definitive history of early Soviet MiG designs in Arab military service. No other English-language work even approaches its value, scope or authority.

The authors themselves require no introduction. Few have so illumined the peripheries of aviation history for English-speaking enthusiasts. And this absorbing account of jet combat in, arguably, the world’s endless war zone doesn’t disappoint.

Cooper and Nicolle scrupulously detail the story in seven spellbinding steps. Chapters 1 and 2 cover initial Egyptian and Syrian MiG deliveries. The 1956 Suez conflict, its aftermath, the “Water War” and Yemen consume the next four. And the final segment culminates in 1967’s decisive Six Day War – the repercussions of which continue dominating Middle-East politics and policies.

Reflecting latest research, Cooper and Nicolle’s Arab MiGs (Volume 1) deserves a spot in every enthusiast’s library. Buy, beg or borrow this terrific tome. Then place your order for Volume 2.

I certainly shall!

Cheers, Deino

« Last Edit: November 30, 2010, 10:56:12 am by Deino »

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He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

- Air War Ogaden - the air war between Ethiopia and Somalia (1977-1978)

- The Last Year of the South Vietnamese Air Force

- ... something related to the Falklands War (esp. on the Argentinian flying services during that conclift)

CHeers, Deino

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He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

A small update from Tom Cooper ... the book on the Falkland-War "Argentinian perspective" is on hold at least for now ...

Besides that no-one with interest in their books ?? At least I'm impressed.

Deino

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He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

Great books, no doubt. Unfortunately, not for me. My main interest are unbuilt projects and little known aircraft variants. My interest on Air Forces is not on top of my list. I have to limit my interests to keep my brain healthy because I'm too curious.

Great books, no doubt. Unfortunately, not for me. My main interest are unbuilt projects and little known aircraft variants. My interest on Air Forces is not on top of my list. I have to limit my interests to keep my brain healthy because I'm too curious.

Agreed ... but since I'm working together since some time with Tom I got a deeper insight into these books too and even if I agree with You I'm very much impressed how deep they cover a very special or maybe even "un-orthodox" topic. Never thought that African Air Forces could be interesting at all ...

But maybe You could stay tuned ....

Deino

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He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

Interesting for me? Interested in them? Well, I must confess that I have all these books with the exception of Croatia ...

And I'm anxiously experiments on many African second part of the MiGs and especially the war in Ogaden.

I love the little-known conflicts, for example, I wrote a small article about the war in Libya-Egypt 77, or on little-known aircraft as the IAR-93/J-22 Orao ...

So YES, I'm really interested in books of this publisher ...

1Saludo

Nice ... maybe You should contact Tom, since he's currently preparing part 3 on

Additionally - also to the others - what topics would You like to be covered ??So please, feel free to post your ideas and proposals for additional future research and publication projects ... .

Deino

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He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

Hmmm .. I hope I don't tell too much, but in mind of the vast information to this topic and the limited space in a single volume we concetrate on the currently used combat and combat-support aircraft, their weapons, the units as well as the current Orbat ! As such it will be a "handbook" of the current PLAAF & PLANAF.

Here's the proposed content so far:

Chapter 1: Short History of the PLAAF and the PLANAFChapter 2: Combat and Combat-Support AircraftChapter 3: Weapons of Chinese Combat AircraftChapter 4: Aircraft MarkingsChapter 5: PLAAF Order of Battle, 2012Chapter 6: PLANAF Order of Battle, 2012

Cheers, Deino

Logged

He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

Much of the fascination that Chinese military aviation holds for the analyst and enthusiast stems from the thick veil of secrecy that surrounds it. This uniquely compact yet comprehensive directory serves as a magnificently illustrated, in-depth analysis and directory of modern Chinese air power. It is organised in three parts: the most important military aircraft and their weapons found in Chinese service today; aircraft markings and serial number systems; and orders of battle for the People's Liberation Army Air Force and Naval Air Force. The study includes the latest developments emerging from behind the 'Bamboo Curtain', including the J-20 stealth fighter programme and other indigenous projects that are equipping a rapidly modernising air arm. The centrepiece consists of almost 100 fully illustrated pages detailing the organisational structure of the Air Force and Naval Aviation, providing an easy-to-use review of all known flying units, their equipment and their markings. No other book has ever attempted to present this level of accuracy in this way: 'Modern Chinese Air Power' portrays the PLAAF and the PLANAF in a degree of detail that was previously unavailable.

The June 1967 War fought between an Arab alliance and Israel was a pivotal event in the modern history of the Middle East. This study provides the most complete and detailed coverage ever of the Arab air forces during the course of that conflict. Supported by original documentation, and hundreds of blow-by-blow accounts from participants and eyewitnesses from Egypt, Iraq, Jordan and Syria, the result is a fascinating and gripping narrative that uncovers many new stories for the first time. Numerous vivid descriptions shed light upon Israeli attacks on Arab air bases, dozens of air combats, efforts to continue fighting against all odds, failures of Arab security and intelligence, and conflicts within the military chains of command. These stories are complemented by descriptions of the tactics and weaponry deployed.Almost 350 photographs, diagrams and artworks combine with lucidly written text to produce one of the most informative and readable books on air warfare to have become available in recent years. Military historians and scholars interested in aviation and foreign affairs will find this volume of particular interest. As a unique work that presents the Arab point of view of a defining war, it stands as both a complement and a corrective to previous accounts of this much-misunderstood conflict.

Deino

« Last Edit: September 23, 2012, 01:17:25 am by Deino »

Logged

He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

OK, since this project is about to get 'closed' (i.e. ready for print'), here a few words on it too....

Originally, we intended to offer 'just' a review of modern-day fighter-interceptors and fighter-bombers in service with the PLAAF and the PLANAF, and their order of battle. After all, at the first look, majority of these two air forces consist of 'fighter-type' aircraft.... That's why the original title was also kept 'Chinese Fighters'. An additional reason the scope was held as 'narrow' was that the original impression was that it's 'impossible' to cover the entire PLAAF and the PLANAF even in two 'standard-sized' volumes as usually published by Harpia' (see 256 pages in DIN A4 format).

Eventually, it turned out that this is possible, and that it is possible to keep this theoretically huge topic something like 'relatively simple', 'easy to oversee'. So as the project developed we turned this into 'Modern Chinese Warplanes: Combat Aircraft and Units of the Chinese Air Force and Naval Aviation', which appears is going to be the definite title of this volume.

Now, what is this book going to bring?

As first, we wanted to sort out the available data about various 'crucial' fighter types presently in service in China. The emphasis was (and we tried to keep it that way, even though this is not entirely possible) to keep it 'China-related', 'modern/current' and especially 'made in China' emphasised. Thus, we put together all that is available on J-7s, J-8s, J-10s, J-11s etc. scrutinized the available information for rumours, nonsence, and tried to leave only 'reliable information' and 'hard facts'. Similarly, we wanted to avoid too much discussion about 'could be/would be' projects, and concentrated entirely on 'what's in service right now' coverage. That means: even though the J-6 was so important for the developmet of the Chinese aviation industry and air force(s), sorry, but its hardly even mentioned in this book - because it's not in service any more (well, with one exception, but more about this book). Indeed, I have had a major problem even with adding an extensive chapter on the Xi'an H-6 bomber to this book and - wasn't it for the appearance of its latest variant (the H-6K) I would have probably left it out (namely, the appearance of the H-6K indicates that not only the company, but the PLAAF too, intend to keep this type in service for 'a while' longer, and that's something I simply couldn't ignore).

And, with that 'change', we 'blew up' the 'Fighters' scope of that book, and so an entire 'avalanche' came into being, then all of a sudden the remaining content had to be changed too... and we ended with 'entire' air force...

Anyway, following Chapter 1, which is something like an 'introduction' to the history of the PLAAF and the PLANAF (one simply has to introduce the reader into this topic, otherwise many things in the book would be really hard to understand), the first 'core' of this book is Chapter 2, which is providing (very) detailled sub-chapters on J-7, J-8, J-10, J-11 (and follow-ups), Su-30MKK/MK2 (and follow-ups), JH-7 and H-6, as well as providing a 'review' of various combat-support aircraft (from transports via AWACS to ELINT/SIGINT gatherers). Sadly, there is not really enough information about the later as to discuss every of them 'sub-chapter-wise'. Furthermore, there was neither enough space nor enough information to enter the topic of the UAVs to sufficient depth, and entering helicopters would certainly make this project a 'mess', so these are something like 'underreproted' here.

As next, there was a necessity to sort out the issue 'what armament can these aircraft carry'. Quite a few details about various Chinese-made weapons remain 'murky', unclear, not defined, etc. It turned out a wide range of online sources are citing weapons as 'in service', even though they either never entered service, or are long since 'out'... Other weapons are (persistently) wrongly designated, even though in service since long. Then, there is plenty of mixing of weapons manufactured for 'domestic consumption' and those produced 'for export only'. Anyway, this chapter covers air-to-air and air-to-surface/ship or anti-radar missiles, and then other, 'non-powered' PGMs, plus GP-bombs. There is even a small sub-chapter on Chinese nuclear weapons, even though this is such a secret topic, there is not much 'definite' to say about it (again, we didn't want to enter endless historic discussions about what was, and even less so about what might be). That's how Chapter 3 came into being.

Chapter 4 follows with an explanation about markings (especially serials) of PLAAF and PLANAF aircraft. Let me explain this chapter this way: any idea what unit is flying a J-7 serialled 20033? Not to talk about: where is that unit stationed?

I had no idea either. But, once you read this chapter, you're going to know at least what the serial 20033 means, and how to find out to what unit is a plane marked that way assigned. Surely, we could have added an extensive discussion about all the shades of light grey presently used by the PLAAF and the PLANAF, and of all the 15+ forms of the 'Star and bar' insignia applied on various aircraft etc., but this part is kept relatively short. Instead, the emphasis here was that on explaining the serialling system - to explain a complex topic in a simple fashion, and I'm really happy about it.

Finally, Chapters 5 and 6... the most troublesome in this project... present a detailled (down to regimental-level) and complete ORBATs of the PLAAF and the PLANAF, Military Region by Military Region, and PLAN's Fleet by Fleet, Division by Division etc., in word/text, photo/artworks, maps and tables.

Now, when discussing this topic it must be said up front that my first aim was to present an 'easy to understand' ORBAT of PLAAF & PLANAF fighter units only. For me, this is the CORE of this book. You know how easy it is to identify the unit and base of the F-15E wearing 'LN 003' on its tailfin... But, try to do the same for the PLAAF. So, I finally wanted to understand serial numbers in relation to units, and units in relation to bases (related to Military Regions) of the Chinese air force. People like Andi have this in their 'small finger', but majority of potentially interested readers - not the least. There is a number of fairly recently published books and articles about the Chinese air force (less so about the PLANAF) - but nobody put together a complete, presently valid (not to talk about 'next 5-10 years) ORBAT of either, the PLAAF or the PLANAF so far.

And, to make things worse yet: the PLAAF is mid through a large-scale re-organisation, which actually only just began in late 2011 and early 2012 - so that many divisions are now 'bases', many regiments reorganized as 'brigades', many of independent regiments do not exist any more, there is even some confusion in regards of serials (where aircraft of disbanded/re-organized units are now assigned to newly established/re-established units but still showing serials of their former units etc.), some long-ago disbanded units are re-established, others moved around etc.. I.e. a lot is going on in that huge air force all at once (just one illustration of proportions there: do you know how many PLAAF regiments fly J-7s? let me offer you a clue, the figure goes 'well beyond 20'...!) - and to bring all of that to the latest stand... oh my... I admit pushing Andi and myself well 'beyond limits' in this regards. But, eventually, we've got the ORBAT as of August 2012 into this book. Not a bad feat...

Now, the next issue was presenting that ORBAT in a fashion that is easy to understand and follow. Theoretically, given the quite 'clear' organisational structure of the PLAAF and the PLANAF, this is at least 'within reach'. But, given the latest re-organisation and the fact that we wanted to have a map of each MR with all the important bases... well, already that proved an obstacle. So, it was important to find out what bases are important as of... say, August 2012. Then, we wanted to have the crest of each division (at least), a short history of each division (as introduction) and at least one photo of at least one aircraft from each division - preferably one aircraft of each regiment assigned to each division... (the aim of getting the crest of each regiment is still something within realms of 'science fiction', but who knows: perhaps in reaction to this book...). Eventually, all of this proved more problematic once we decided to cover the entire PLAAF and PLANAF, not only the 'fighter' aspect of these air forces. Slightly more so in regards of crests, and slightly less in regards of finding photos. An important note here: don't worry, there are no 50 divisions within the PLANAF any more, and thus you'll not get lost while reading this book. There are 'only' slightly less than 30 divisions with the PLAAF (even though two divisions have recently been re-established), and the number of PLANAF units was - contrary to many expectations - decreased, not increased recently. So, I think we really did well in organizing Chapter 5 so that one could take this book on his trip to China, as 'identification guide'.

Furthermore, although majority of photographs proved useless for publishing (not only because of their quality, but also because we do not want to violate anybody's copyrights, nor simply ignore them - as this appears to be quite 'popular' in the case of specific other publishers, recently), we still found a workable solution. The last problem to solve is the issue of space and the book's lay-out, but we'll get that too...

The net result was that we decided to go for a 'mix': sure, we can't have a photo of an aircraft from all of some 100+ regiments of the PLAAF (even less so when there are three regiments per division, or when there are now four brigades per base...!), but we finalized this in such fashion that there is usually one photo and one artwork per division, showing two different aircraft operated by regiments/brigades assigned to specific division or base (in fact, in the case of all the divisions re-organized as bases, this book is going to bring at least one artwork [if not a photo] per each brigade)...

And so... although Andi attempted to assassinate me - several times - or at least to make me end in some of those institutions where everything is white and soft and everybody so friendly....with all of his e-mails, corrections etc., and I'm certainly going to twist his head for some 720 degrees when me meet the next time (if not that, he's paying all the drinks in Telford ), despite a number of 'sheerly unsolvable' problems...(this wouldn't be an interesting project if there would have been none) - I now feel I have a good insight into the PLAAF/PLANAF organisation and equiment, just from co-working on this book (oh, come on Andi: everybody here knows you have this in your small finger... ). Hey, that is encouraging...! ;-)

Of course, much more importantly, I hope readers are going to feel the same way and find this really a 'simple-guide-style' source of reference about this topic, organized and presented in a format and fashion that are going to be useful for a number of years to come (and regardless what kind of additional re-organisations might follow in the future).

As usually, the book is going to become available on 26 October this year. First 'public presentation' is to occur during the IPMS/UK Nationals, in Telford, in mid-November this year (the authors will be there to sign your copies, of course ;-)).

Logged

He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

Much of the fascination that Chinese military aviation holds for the analyst and enthusiast stems from the thick veil of secrecy that surrounds it. This uniquely compact yet comprehensive directory serves as a magnificently illustrated, in-depth analysis and directory of modern Chinese air power. It is organised in three parts: the most important military aircraft and their weapons found in Chinese service today; aircraft markings and serial number systems; and orders of battle for the People's Liberation Army Air Force and Naval Air Force. The study includes the latest developments emerging from behind the 'Bamboo Curtain', including the J-20 stealth fighter programme and other indigenous projects that are equipping a rapidly modernising air arm. The centrepiece consists of almost 100 fully illustrated pages detailing the organisational structure of the Air Force and Naval Aviation, providing an easy-to-use review of all known flying units, their equipment and their markings. No other book has ever attempted to present this level of accuracy in this way: 'Modern Chinese Air Power' portrays the PLAAF and the PLANAF in a degree of detail that was previously unavailable.

The June 1967 War fought between an Arab alliance and Israel was a pivotal event in the modern history of the Middle East. This study provides the most complete and detailed coverage ever of the Arab air forces during the course of that conflict. Supported by original documentation, and hundreds of blow-by-blow accounts from participants and eyewitnesses from Egypt, Iraq, Jordan and Syria, the result is a fascinating and gripping narrative that uncovers many new stories for the first time. Numerous vivid descriptions shed light upon Israeli attacks on Arab air bases, dozens of air combats, efforts to continue fighting against all odds, failures of Arab security and intelligence, and conflicts within the military chains of command. These stories are complemented by descriptions of the tactics and weaponry deployed.Almost 350 photographs, diagrams and artworks combine with lucidly written text to produce one of the most informative and readable books on air warfare to have become available in recent years. Military historians and scholars interested in aviation and foreign affairs will find this volume of particular interest. As a unique work that presents the Arab point of view of a defining war, it stands as both a complement and a corrective to previous accounts of this much-misunderstood conflict.

Deino

The cover page of 《Modern Chinese Air Power》 has a obvious error for the HaiNan Island is not covered by yellow.

Thanks a lot for that remark !! And yes, that error was included in the first pre-version we needed to send ... and was sadly only noted after being publsihed.

In the final maps Hainan is surely included.

I deeply regret this mistake ... besides that due to an expansion we need to change the title accordingly (see post above)

« Last Edit: December 15, 2012, 07:14:48 am by Deino »

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He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

No, that type will surely be not included since it is not operational yet. But it will be included in the book I did together with Tony Buttler published next year.

Deino

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He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

Much of the fascination that Chinese military aviation holds for the analyst and enthusiast stems from the thick veil of secrecy that surrounds it. This uniquely compact yet comprehensive directory serves as a magnificently illustrated, in-depth analysis and directory of modern Chinese air power.

It is organised in three parts: the most important military aircraft and their weapons found in Chinese service today; aircraft markings and serial number systems; and orders of battle for the People's Liberation Army Air Force and Naval Air Force.

The study includes the latest developments emerging from behind the 'Bamboo Curtain', including the J-20 stealth fighter programme and other indigenous projects that are equipping a rapidly modernising air arm. The centrepiece consists of more than 100 fully illustrated pages detailing the organisational structure of the Air Force and Naval Aviation, providing an easy-to-use review of all known flying units, their equipment and their markings.

No other book has ever attempted to present this level of accuracy in this way: Modern Chinese Warplanes portrays the PLAAF and the PLANAF in a degree of detail that was previously unavailable.

As such all I need to say is THANK You all, who contributed with their input, help, comments, corrections or posts ...

Deino

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He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

Just a maybe stupid question but does anyone know if this book will be allowed to be sold in China ... and if YES, I would like to ask if anyone knows a special book-shop or anyone else who could act as a distributor for Harpia books in China ??

Cheers & thanks in advance, Deino

Logged

He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

No. The Custom officers are sensitive to the title with the word "China" even it means porcelain. PS: if you know Chinese language, I can guarantee you may find the info provided in the book is nothing compared with the one from local bbs.

No. The Custom officers are sensitive to the title with the word "China" even it means porcelain. PS: if you know Chinese language, I can guarantee you may find the info provided in the book is nothing compared with the one from local bbs.

Thanks a lot ... but maybe I need to explain a bit more since it seems You misunderstood my intention or request:

First of all I think I need to explain a bit how this book developed to what it is right now. Our or to admit most of all my aim was to create a book that provides an “as complete as possible” overview over the PLAAF and PLANAF beginning from a historical review, which describes its gestation, the currently operational aircraft types, their weapons and most of all a as current as possible ORBAT of both forces. For that my research lasted for several years and even with my nearly non-existent Chinese-language-knowledge I (at least hope so) have some good contacts to several who have and – like You noted – are well established in several local bbs. As such I hope that the especially the Orbat tables listed will at least represent the newly established structure of Bases & Brigades in parallel to the well known Divisions & Regiments, the restructuring of the training units, it contains the reassigned naval units (Independent Regiments and Bomber units) and so on to an extent never published before in the West. … but that’s probably the problem like You pointed out.

Therefore I know I will always lack behind in my research in contrast to these local bbs but please give me an public accessible – esp. in the West – source, which provides such local information as a comprehensive overview ?? The so far most often quoted book in this regard is Yefim Gordon’s book, which is IMO far from complete, far from recent and most of all far from correct in several regards. Additionally – and that’s a great PLUS of Harpia Publishing – we were able to add the latest changes to newly established units (like the 16. Specialised Division, the 32th Fighter Division and even the newly established 20. Division), to the training Brigades and so on even nearly 4 weeks before being delivered … again it will most surely be late in same information but every book will be dated when published by a standard publisher since most publishers I know are “closing for press” much earlier.

Again I know my book will surely contain mistake, some familiar with the local situation much than me will maybe even say several stupid ones, but again to admit I hope I’m not that far off and Your last sentence will hopefully not be true in the extent You would like to guarantee …. .

Anyway please take a deeper look into that book when available and I would be more than delighted if You would provide as much corrections as required ….

Cheers, Deino

« Last Edit: October 23, 2012, 12:43:16 pm by Deino »

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He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

Apology if my previous statement annoys u. As a Chinese,though I'm not pride of this,I have not found any useful or even non-stupid books about Chinese military aircraft. Ye Gordon have contribute a lot in this point including 2 books and several chapters in his MiG-21，Tu-16，MiG-19. I hope your work can change my mind. Here are some useful links.But please be noted the sites may harm your computer. I cannot make sure there are no viruses.

No need to apologise especially in mind of what has been published so far !

To admit, it was my aim to at least correct a bit of what Yefim and others have done in the past (even with my own limitations in mind) and surely the Chinese aviation industry, its military and overall capabilities were usually treated by most Western assessments (even if I won’t call Yefim books a typical Western assessment .. more the Russian view !) influenced by myth, ignorance and prejudice. On the other side especially for a foreigner it is still difficult to differ between facts and fiction, wishful thinking and overenthusiastic sentiments, which were also more than once mixed with national pride; especially if You take a closer look at several of the local bbs.

If I was able to rectify this or if I failed too … it’s up to the readers to decide and as such I would suggest to pm me Your postal address, then I will provide You with one example of the book for free for a review …

With the hope not to disappoint… Deino

« Last Edit: October 24, 2012, 08:01:44 am by Deino »

Logged

He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

Deino said - Just a maybe stupid question but does anyone know if this book will be allowed to be sold in China

I was in Shanghai and Hangzhou back in 2009 and was astounded by the number and content of the aviation magazines in the bookshops and news stands. I bought a few and while I haven't a clue what the text says, the illustrations were quite diverse, good quality and detailed. Unfortunately all I saw flying was a single Flounder, but quite exciting all the same. Ah, just like the old days.

World headlines remain replete with references to China’s energetic economy and political ascendancy. And its mysterious, muscular military clearly enjoys the benefits of lavish research, development, technology and production spending.

Now HARPIA PUBLISHING strips the shroud of secrecy with an indispensable handbook on emergent Chinese air power by Andreas Rupprecht and Tom Cooper.

Modern Chinese Warplanes sports 256 pages, hundreds of color photos and twelve maps. After brief historical notes, contents course from indigenous aircraft designs and weapons through markings and serials to orders of battle.

Subtitled “Combat Aircraft and Units of the Chinese Air Force and Naval Aviation”, coverage includes both the People’s Liberation Army Air Force and the People’s Liberation Army Naval Air Force – the so-called “second Chinese Air Force”.

Rupprecht and Cooper unearth some real nuggets. Notes on so-called “direct-reporting units”, for instance, include images of the Soaring Dragon UAV – as well as modified Tupolev Tu-154M and Boeing 737-3Q8 jet transports for ELINT/SIGINT missions. And those Shenyang J-6 UCAVs nearly gave me whiplash!

I frankly wished the authors broadened coverage to Chinese warplanes for export – like Chengdu’s FC-1/JF-17 fighter and Nanchang’s venerable A-5. But readers can reference HARPIA’s excellent IRIAF 2010: The Modern Iranian Air Force and African MiGs (vols 1 & 2) for select details of China’s international aviation efforts. Coverage of recent, multi-role designs like Guizhou’s JL-9 and Hongdu’s L-15 would have also enriched the account.

But I quibble. HARPIA has forged a radiant reputation with gems like this richly illustrated guide. Modern Chinese Warplanes deserves a place on the shelves of Far East military scholars and enthusiasts.

Get this terrific tome.

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He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

This book is the most up to date coverage of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force(PLAAF) and the People’s Liberation Army Naval Air Force( PLANAF).

The book is divided into three main areas- the current aircraft in service, their weaponry and the ORBAT of both services.

First part of the book introduces a brief history of PLAAF and PLANAF, this gives readers a concise understanding of both services’ history that helps the readers to understand the services formation and organization as what they are today.

Next a large chunk of the book is devoted to the next chapter- the details of the various types of combat and combat support aircraft currently in service as of 2012. The types covers fighters J-7,J-8, J-10, J-11, J-15,J-20, SU-27/30, JH-7, A-5 and H-6 bomber. Each type is accompanied by development history, details of specifications such as design, avionics, weapon systems and performance. High definition pictures are included for each type as well. A surprising number of unseen pictures are included too.

In addition the combat support types are included in the following chapters- the transports, AWACS trainers are covered as well. The AWACS fleet is one of most obscure subject in the PLAAF.

One useful chapter what was missing in other publications was the up to date weaponry deployed, which in this book is well documentated with pictures and illustrations. This chapter covers air-to-air and air-to-surface/ship or anti-radar missiles, plus PGMs, GP-bombs. Also a small mention of the Chinese nuclear weapons as well.

As much as most modellers like myself it will be good if the scale drawings of the aircraft are included as well, this will certainly complement the excellent pictures and color profiles in the book.

Chapter 4 deals with the ever mysterious serials of PLAAF and PLANAF aircraft. This chapter once and for all lifted all the mystery and confusion. How each aircraft is assigned to its regiments, divisions and military regions are explained. There is also a table detailing all the units with assigned serials since 2005.

Finally, Chapters 5 and 6 is the most comprehensive part of the book . Down to regimental level, the and complete ORBATs of the PLAAF and the PLANAF, Military Regions, and PLAN’s Fleet by Fleet, Division by Division are presented lavishly complete with photos, artworks, maps and tables.

The manner in which it was presented was easy to understand for most readers, each military region or fleet and their bases are accompanied by maps. A short write up of each division and a table detailing the regiments, the serials, type of aircraft deployed and the bases.

In conclusion this is currently THE book to get if you are into PLAAF/PLANAF. It has comprehensive coverage and up to date data. Highly recommended. I have a number of the Harpia titles and this title is certainly worth having in your collection.

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He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

Just got a very nice mail from the Harpia team as well as from Tom Cooper:

Quote from: Tom

It is with plenty of pride, and thus a true priviledge, to have the opportunity to post a flattening review of this book - prepared by nobody less but Norman Polmar - as published in June 2013 volume of the Naval Proceedings magazine (one of leading magazines of the US Navy).

« Last Edit: August 28, 2013, 05:41:05 am by Deino »

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He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

many thanks for your information on the latest Harpia Publishing books.I have already received my copies and finished reading the bok in IASF. Very nice stuff, indeed.

The 4th volume on Arab MiGs is really exciting. I like the new drawings (SAM sites) and hope for more in future (?) volumes.Do you know about any more upcoming Arab MiGs volumes as the 1973 War is still missing?

many thanks for your information on the latest Harpia Publishing books.I have already received my copies and finished reading the bok in IASF. Very nice stuff, indeed.

The 4th volume on Arab MiGs is really exciting. I like the new drawings (SAM sites) and hope for more in future (?) volumes.Do you know about any more upcoming Arab MiGs volumes as the 1973 War is still missing?

YES, very nice stuff indeed and even more its more than interesting to learn more about the other side of conflict or simply another opinion others than the so often repeated version mostly based on Israel's point of view. That's especially the point which I like the most on Harpia's approach - similar to my own book on the Chinese military: They don't care about what's written everywhere but what's behind even if some might don't like that.

Regarding the still "missing" 1973 War I think - to admit I'm not completely thru the book since I started with The Israeli AF book during the holydays (but Crete was too nice !) - this volume ends right before the war broke out in 1973 ... as such Vol. 5 will cover these events and for more I will ask Tom !

So hopefully more later,Deino

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He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

We've just started working on Arab MiGs 5, are are still discussing the precise way to take. Thus, the best I can offer are some 'preliminary thoughts', i.e. a - rather rough - outline. (From that aspect, it would be actually interesting to hear any possible suggestions from readers.)

Yes, it's obvious that Volume 5 is heading for October 1973 Arab-Israeli War. Most likely, the same will be the case with Volume 6 too. But, what exactly is it (or are they) going to contain...?

Primary issue remains the coverage of Arab air forces, that's clear.

Secondary issue will be to provide the first ever - balanced - coverage of this air war at all. There are plenty of books about this war in general, all of them covering politics, intelligence (especially how Arabs managed to achieve a 'strategic surprise' on Israel), and - especially - on ground warfare. There are few 'general' books covering air warfare, but actually only in outline. Some book-authors went even so far as to say 'air warfare was not important for this conflict' (ho-hum...guess they never wondered 'how comes?'). There is a plethora of books about various IDF/AF units, with extensive chapters on their participation (characterised by getting 'particularly obscure' in regards of description of their losses or even operations that went wrong). There are some more recent Israeli books covering specific processes of decision-making related to the IDF/AF etc (like Peled's 30 Hours in October). But, there is not a single book so far concentrating solely on the issue of air warfare in 1973, and going in all relevant directions, i.e. providing a combination of strategic, tactical, and technological coverage, blow-by-blow descriptions, and summaries.

Third issue will be the following matter: careful readers of Volume 4 might have already observed that 'something is missing' between Chapters 5 and 6. That's right: we've had to remove the original Chapter 6, which was covering the 'No War, No Peace' phase of sporadic skirmishes between Egypt, Israel and Syria, in period 1970-1973. There was simply no place left in that volume for that chapter. So, this Chapter will be the starting point of Volume 5.

For all these reasons, we'll have to 'cover the IDF/AF too', at least a 'lil bit' more, in Volumes 5 and 6. Guess, this will be primarily related to dedicating more attention to cross-examination of Arab and Israeli claims. I guess we might decide to add boxes on Israeli nukes (i.e. Meir's 'nuclear alert & nuclear blackmail', which I find a particularly interesting, yet terribly underreported affair, especially because it stands in very close relation to the IDF/AF, of course, but also because it's entirely unlikely anybody in the West might come to the idea to publish some of the stuff that is meanwhile well-known); there might also be boxes on Combat Tree (hehe, I really doubt the IDF/AF F-4 crews were all the time detecting MiGs 'visually', as legends explain; alone considering how dependable Israel became on high-tech by that time in all other aspects related to defence, makes this entirely unlikely), on not only the US-, but also the Israeli (El Al) air-bridge from the USA (which began nearly a week earlier than the US air bridge); on Soviet air bridge etc. And also, I would like to add more artworks to either volume: this was the last major war of Egyptian, Iraqi and Syrian MiG-17s, and I think it would be 'nice' to offer them a sort of 'farewell' in this fashion.

But most of all, I hope there will be enough space for all the stuff we would like to squeeze in these two volumes.

Regarding their publishing dates: Vol. 5 should follow next year in September or October, not sure right now, but it's not going to be earlier or later. However, presently it looks like we'll do the Volume 6 'only' in 2016. At least it is so that Harpia has something else in plan for 2015. We'll see what happens (relevant decisions are unlikely to be brought before sometimes in spring or summer the next year, more likely only in September-October 2014).

We do have enough materials of necessary depth for one more volume, i.e. something covering the post-1973 times. But with that we're already talking about some long-term future (say, 'more than 3-4 years from now'). We'll see what comes out of that.

....

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He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

I've noticed that in the current issue of AirForces Monthly (August 2014) there is a review written by Glenn Sanders (!?) ... can anyone post that one here

Deino

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He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

By the way - sorry to re-ask again - could You post it a bit, a slightly bit larger ?? ... I think I'm getting older !!!

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He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

what is the difference between below book and above one? Just received the copy of former one.

Sorry for the late reply !

There's no difference to the "Dragon's Wings" with the new cover and this is only the first proposal for the cover, which was used to advertise or announce the book. However I was not very happy with this one and together we decided on the second / later design, which was sadly not replaced by all sellers on their web-pages.

This book "Dragon's Wings" is mainly related on the Chinese Aviation Industry and the different programs, projects and aircraft types + versions. The Harpia book You asked in contrast is a PLAAF/PLANAF-related compendium containing the Chinese Air Forces, its structure and most of all the ORBAT.

He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

Anyway if You have anything to comment, add or especially correct ... then please do not hesitate !

Deino

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He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

By the way I met the Publisher / Owner from Harpia yesterday and during dinner we some very nice and more than interesting discussions on books, magazines + print-media in these changing times, plans for future Harpia releases and aviation in general.

And I can promise, they have some nice ideas for the next years.

Deino

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He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

Russia’s Warplanes is set to become the standard reference work on the subject. Written by an acknowledged expert in the field, this will serve as an exhaustive directory of the latest products of Russia’s military aviation industry. As well as outlining aircraft that currently equip the various Russian air arms, the first of two volumes also takes into account aircraft developed for and fielded by foreign states in the post-Soviet era.

Piotr Butowski provides authoritative technical descriptions for each military aircraft – and every significant sub-variant – currently available from Russia’s aerospace industry, or otherwise in large-scale service. With the level of accuracy and insight familiar to Harpia’s regular readers, each aircraft profile also includes specifications, and details of operators, upgrades, avionics and weapons.

The first of two volumes on the subject presents in-depth coverage of tactical combat aircraft, trainers, Army Aviation helicopters, reconnaissance and surveillance aircraft, airborne command posts and relay aircraft. As such, the breadth of this work extends from the latest multi-role fighters developed by Mikoyan and Sukhoi, via successive generations of combat rotorcraft, to airborne early warning and electronic intelligence-gatherers.

As well as familiar types such as the Su-30MK family of fighters and Mi-24/35 assault helicopters that have proven so successful on the export market, Russia’s Warplanes extends its reach to the various new and upgraded types that are beginning to populate Russia’s rejuvenated air arms, including those still under development, including the enigmatic ‘fifth-generation’ Sukhoi T-50 fighter.

Additional assets, including long-range bombers, maritime aircraft, strategic transport and tanker aircraft, theater and special purpose transports, and air-launched weapons will be dealt with in Volume 2.

Supplemented by many photographs, some of which from exclusive sources, as well as specially created maps and diagrams, Volume 1 of Russia’s Warplanes launches the most comprehensive study of the fixed- and rotary wing aircraft types – manned and unmanned – that can currently be found in Russian service or which are being built or offered for export.

... even further Tom Cooper just posted the contents of the Volume 1 of this book (as of July 2015):

He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

By the way Tom just informed me that the cover includes a new T50-profile ... somehow this old appeared on this preview and this will be corrected later this day.

« Last Edit: October 06, 2015, 01:29:08 pm by Deino »

Logged

He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

By the way Tom just informed me that the cover includes a new T50-profile ... somehow this old appeared on this preview and this will be corrected later this day.

Here it is ....

« Last Edit: October 06, 2015, 01:29:18 pm by Deino »

Logged

He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

hope there are info and chapters on the armaments esp the new missiles

As you can see in the published contents pages there is a subchapter on weaponry.As far as we know there will be a separate chapter in volume 2 describing the weapons as in previous books like 'Modern Chinese Warplanes' and 'Modern Israeli Air Power'.

hope there are info and chapters on the armaments esp the new missiles

As you can see in the published contents pages there is a subchapter on weaponry.As far as we know there will be a separate chapter in volume 2 describing the weapons as in previous books like 'Modern Chinese Warplanes' and 'Modern Israeli Air Power'.

Have Volume 1 with me now - there is no seperate chapter on weapons - maybe next volume may cover the new weapons and missiles

Incidently ,Piotr Butowski was to come out with a 2 volume Encyclopedia on Russian Aviation Directory by the defunct Aerospace Publishing in the late 90's - so this 2 volume series (albeit a different topic) is a new offering as there are few english language books published by him.

Harpia Publishing’s latest title covers Russian combat planes in current Russian service (thus newer variants /upgrades of Mig 21/23/27 etc lose out) , along with all the choppers , electronic/special purpose/awacs with the latest technical details .There is a wealth of information (many of them new) with a chapter given to each aircraft with superb quality of paper/printing and many unseen and new photographs and very informative details .

The Directory has a consistent structure format ;it covers a brief introduction, history,engine/powerplant ,avionics upgrades ,variants , future plans for the aircraft and countries where exported or planned in the future,text on weapons in deployment ,units ,Russian designations etc

There is also a chapter on planned future warplanes with many details that are of interest to the enthusiast - however Piotr cautions in his preface - that many of these "new" projects may not see the light of day due to the prevailing economic conditions and current affairs.

As a discerning reader , a few areas where i feel Harpia can work on the next Volume II :

1.There is no dearth of information on the weapons with lots of text -

- what could have helped embellish the text esp on the combat aircraft are a few diagrams on the weapons configuration/sensors of aircraft for example diagrams showing the typical weapons configuration on maybe an SU-34 and the depiction on the various pylons .

Looking at many of the different types and their variants - a few diagrams could help illustrate the differences and would have been well appreciated On Pp 182 there are profile diagrams showing diff versions of the IL-20 and Il - 22 but none for any of the other aircraft type.

Perhaps this is all due to publisher discretion and size limitations

Nevertheless this is a stunning piece of work with excellent colour photographs and a MUST BUY on this exotic subject , for its stunning wealth of information and which will serve as the definitive guide on this subject for the near future.

Hi guys ... I think I need to step in due to two reasons and THANK You "Krishna_j" that You made a few points clearer, since at first I was and still I am a bit surprised.

First of all, I was a bit surprised, confused and even annoyed with Your first statements , especially Your insisting on special weapons-charts or better descriptions; also You statement in regard to the lack of 3-side drawings or that not all types are shown in these special profiles sound more like a disappointment. Indeed it all (IMO) sounded as if You were disappointed since You expected some sort of the “Eierlegende Wollmilchsau” (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eierlegende_Wollmilchsau)! It’s a typical German colloquial phrase, for something (one thing, person, or problem-solving) is circumscribed, that only has advantages, that satisfies all needs all exemplified by an imaginary food animal, that has all the merits of various animals, namely a chicken (eggs), sheep (wool), cow (milk) and pigs (meat) … and that all on 256 pages for 35.95€. I hope You don’t mind this comparison, but that first of all is impossible, and second was not the intention of this book.

Even if I also mentioned Piotr's two-volumes project planned once for AIRtime – or at least had at first some hopes it would finally resurrect – , I'm sure You can’t really compare both. Even more I'm almost sure that close to nothing of the original manuscript was reused, since this book now is much more up to date, it ‘s intention is not to describe all types in long and exhausting text-passages in their history, gestation and so on.

The main intention was simply – at least as I understand the concept behind – to summarize, to sort and to present the most detailed, most up-to-date catalogue of all current and future aerial systems made by or under development of the Russian Aerospace Industry. For me a dream came true – and would beg something similar in such a detailed fashion would be possible for Chinese systems; I’m even jealous that Piotr is able to do such a thing on Russian systems, something I never could do for my topic in the same manner ! – since such a book was more than overdue … especially in comparison to Yefim Gordon’s nicely illustrated monster-books, with all their peculiarities, deficiencies, errors and so on. I do not want to go more in detail of how Yefim “researches” his books.

As such I finally get a clue on all these Hip-versions …and the subtypes of other types too and I receive all the information in regard to their avionics and other equipment … and that all on 256 pages for 35.95€. Even more – and here again I’m jealous – Piotr’s style of writing, his images and most of all insight and understanding into the scene and the topic due to his contacts and his experience is something I simply admire … In consequence I’m sure, Piotr could easily do a “bible” type on each and every type too and even more much better than anything on the market today … but that was simply not the intention of this book.

So, I’m more than happy and satisfied with this book and I’m eagerly awaiting part 2 next year. So please go and buy that book … and maybe we also get a Volume 3 with the Orbat, something that is missing too.

Deino

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He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

Hi guys ... I think I need to step in due to two reasons and THANK You "Krishna_j" that You made a few points clearer, since at first I was and still I am a bit surprised.

First of all, I was a bit surprised, confused and even annoyed with Your first statements , especially Your insisting on special weapons-charts

i am not sure if you read my posts/reviews fully on Russian Warplanes and am really puzzled why you need to be "annoyed" - perhaps if you are the author or someone closely associated with the design of the book ...then maybe

The argument can be extended next - to stating that pictures are also superfluous for this book - all the information purely in text form will suffice and the reader can "imagine" whatever he wants

- one of the lesser known but brilliant books from Harpia is Ian Shaw's Beyond the Horizon: The History of AEW&C Aircraft - its slipped a bit under the radar figuratively

i had the good fortune to meet the author Ian Shaw last year in Telford and buy the book during the book launch and discuss the structure and content - its a much more difficult topic to cover and interest but some of the charts , boxes and other graphics really compliment the book and whoever designed these needs a pat -

That said - some of these comments on this thread are diverting away from all the positives and the rich content in the book - so nothing further to add

In late April Harpia will publish a new series of books!On 80 pages, but in the same format and layout we will cover topics that require less space.As before, this series will include historical as well as contemporary topics.

Iraqi Air Power Reborn provides the most authoritative account of the Iraqi air arms in the years following Operation Iraqi Freedom. In the space of over a decade since Harpia Publishing presented its groundbreaking and ever-popular Iraqi Fighters, the Iraqi Air Force has undergone an unprecedented transformation. Having been almost entirely decimated by coalition air strikes in 2003, and during the insurgency that followed, Baghdad has set about rebuilding its air power from scratch. This book summarises the history of the Iraqi Air Force and its various incarnations until 2003 before detailing the efforts to establish a new-look Air Force, which began with training formations, before adding transport and reconnaissance squadrons, and finally attack and fighter squadrons - the latter now equipped with the Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon. Coverage also extends to Iraqi Army Aviation, and its various transport, special operations, armed reconnaissance and attack squadrons. Iraqi Army Aviation in particular has been blooded in the fighting that has plagued Iraq since the coalition invasion, and, using pilot testimonies and other sources, author Arnaud Delalande provides exhaustive coverage of successive campaigns waged by Iraqi air power against local and foreign insurgents, including the so-called Islamic State. As well as an overview of Iraq's air arsenal, therefore, this work also serves as a primer of the ongoing conflict within the country. A map of all current Iraqi air bases complements the comprehensive photographic coverage and a detailed order of battle is included, together with squadron patches. A full list is provided of aircraft serial numbers and attrition to all causes since 2004. Iraqi Air Power Reborn is one of the first books in an all-new format from Harpia Publishing. Those readers familiar with Harpia's previous titles will recognise the format, layout, and high-quality production standards. Compared to earlier Harpia titles, however, the new series are altogether more compact, running to a total of 80 pages, and enabling coverage of ‘smaller' themes. Of course, these books also retain the now-familiar in-depth coverage, painstaking research and lavish illustrations of their ‘bigger brothers'.

From the South China Sea to the mountains of Nepal, the continued economic rise of the People s Republic of China has led to a dramatic shift in the balance of power in the region. As a result, the relationship between China and its neighbors, as well as with the United States and its allies, has become increasingly important for the future of the region and for the rest of the world. This uniquely compact yet comprehensive directory serves as a richly illustrated, in-depth analysis and overview of the most important conflicts in which China is currently involved and those that it is likely to be involved with in the future with a particular focus on People's Liberation Army air power. Few expected the advances in China s economy and military to be made so quickly. With the surprise collapse of the Soviet Union, a former common enemy was removed from the equation, focusing attention on differing systems of governance, competition in the realms of economics and security, and growing interdependence. While the strategic situation in the region and the interdependent relationships are dynamic and complicated, these themes are explained in clear terms by Andreas Rupprecht, a leading observer of Chinese aerospace and the country s military-industrial complex, and Tom Cooper, the co-authors of the highly regarded Modern Chinese Warplanes from the same publisher. Flashpoint China is one of the first books in an all-new format from Harpia Publishing. Those readers familiar with Harpia s previous titles will recognize the layout, color codes and high-quality paper. Compared to earlier Harpia titles, however, the new series are altogether more compact, running to a total of 80 pages, and enabling coverage of smaller themes. Of course, these books also retain the now-familiar in-depth coverage, painstaking research and lavish illustrations (around 75 in all) of their bigger brothers ."

He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

To admit I try to avoid that term as good as possible; it's more a description of China's neighbours, the Situation along the borders, border issues and how they were solved or - in a few cases - still not. I also tried - but that seems to be cut quite short due to the limited space this booklet offers - to describe the historical background of each conflict.Additionally it's a description of China's security concerns and its strategy ... and that under focus, what units are based close to what "hotspot".

I really don't like that term "war scenario", since even if China is surely deemed expanding its sphere of influence, it is expanding its capabilities and modernising its military both hardware-wise but also in terms of strategy it is surely interested the most in stable conditions in its area of influence ...

Deino

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He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

And following some intense weeks of labour, the next round of updates is now back at Harpia ... and it seems as if we are indeed on the final meters ...

Logged

He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

Following on from Harpia Publishing’s acclaimed two-volume Russia’s Warplanes series, author Piotr Butowski takes on the subject of the myriad weapons that ensure these aircraft are a force to be reckoned with. For the first time in the English language, this volume presents a detailed account of all the types of weapon currently used on board Russian-made aircraft and helicopters, including Cold War-era munitions, the various weapons used by Russian aircraft during the Syrian campaign, and the latest precision-guided stores currently in development.

The contents of this work encompasses the strategic air-launched weapons that comprise a vital element of Russia’s nuclear forces, including little-known free-fall bombs, strategic and theatre-level air-to-surface missiles, and future projects such as exotic hypersonic weapons. Significant coverage is given over to the uniquely diverse range of tactical air-to-surface missiles, including details of their production, guidance methods and applications, with exhaustive tables of specifications. Study of Russian air-to-air missiles includes close-combat, medium-range and long-range types, while inclusion of helicopter-launched missiles extends the scope of the work to anti-armour weapons. As well as free-fall and guided bombs, offensive stores under scrutiny include rockets of all types, while a chapter on naval weapons includes important stores ranging from anti-submarine torpedoes and missiles to depth charges and various types of mine. Not neglected are the guns and gun pods that make up an important part of Russian aircraft’s arsenals.

Clearly written and illustrated with both photography and artworks, Russia’s Air-launched Weapons provides the most comprehensive single-volume study of its subject currently available. Drawing upon the author’s extensive research, declassified information, and interviews with specialists, it provides a plethora of data on a fascinating and important area of military study. This book is an essential addition for anyone interested in Soviet military aircraft and their use in combat and provides an ideal companion volume to Russia’s Warplanes volumes 1 and 2.

« Last Edit: April 12, 2017, 02:52:22 am by Deino »

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He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

Carrier Aviation in the 21st Century - Aircraft carriers and their units in detail (Thomas Newdick, editor) - Coming October 2017

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He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

Do these books render "Flashpoint China" obsolete? I figured that book was published as an update to the original "Modern Chinese Warplanes".

No surely not, it replaces the original MCW from 2012. In contrast FPC is a review of the border situation from China's point of view connected with a description of still open issues and an analysis of what assets the PLA has at hand in the certain Theater Commands.

As such these Orbat-tables are obsolete since the show the final standard prior to the 2017-initiated brigade/base-reform.

Best,Deino

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He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

Thanks and by the way HAPPY birthday (even if late) ... hope to see you at Telford this year.

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He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

For anyone interested: Closely following and complementing the two recent books on the Chinese Naval Aviation (April 2018) and the regular Air Force (due out in October 2018), with this third volume on the Army Aviation all three major PLA branches are covered.

He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

A more or less well known member at several forums from India asked me for a review copy of my “Modern Chinese Warplane” book, with the offer, it would surely be of interest in India as well and that he would publish a review – maybe even several – in return ....

So, said, done ... in the meantime, several weeks have passed and now – after I asked him once again, what will become of his promise in return to the not quite cheap delivery to India – he answered not me, but secretly my publisher: In India, nobody wants a review on a book in which wrong maps showing India in the wrong borders were used or shown.

Again, he gave neither me nor the publisher an explanation but now I found this - forgive me - funny scheme:

Although it is explicitly stated in the text that these territories are "controversial" and that the book "explicitly" shows the Chinese view of things, it seems to be irrelevant.

What a kindergarten

« Last Edit: December 01, 2018, 07:43:08 am by Deino »

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He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

Interesting to say the least - and a frivolous excuse on the maps some folks will do anything to get a freebie book !!

Probably I was too naïve, but what really annoys me is, that he promised a review and he must be aware of this strange "rule" already before he insisted several times - plus always promising - to send him the books for free in return for a review.

As such; I'm really annoyed by his blatant lie. If he would have given me a bad review due to this issue, due to the high price in India or due to other points he does not agree or the Indian side has a different perception and understanding, then fine, it would be his opinion,... but now I'm indeed - sorry to say so - really pissed off.

Deino

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He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

A very interesting read about the borders of India. If the neighbouring Countries would impose a similar law - then you would be a "criminal" by default as soon as you would draw just any map of the region. I just hope that my Countries neighbours will not fall back to the borders of some centuries ago - we would simply be erased from the maps :-(

Bad thing regarding the "freebies for review" - not new and not surprising though. I could add to the story my experience with a well renown publisher of British magazines... but it has nothing to do with "Secret Projects" of aircraft.

He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)

He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong....For nothing now can ever come to any good.-------------------------------------------------W.H.Auden (1945)